Become an Advocate

Who are the Advocates?

The advocate program was developed to ensure longevity and sustainability within our organization. Advocates are the heart and soul of our organization! As an advocate you make up one of our 180+ advocate team and work to help our community in incredible ways. Advocates assist with leading soup can workouts for schools, head up pop tab and food drive fundraisers, create giving back projects to reflect their areas of passion, and so much more. As an advocate they are also able to create meaningful and lasting relationships with their advocate team and community. So many of our current advocates highlight how through the program they learned leadership, confidence, advocacy, service, etc. Our advocates are the next generation of volunteers in our community, so we make sure to empower them and help them reach their goals.

How to Become an Advocate

There are so many benefits of being an advocate with Peyton’s Promise. The opportunities for leadership and services within the community are endless. This is a great way to build connections to those leaders within the community and begin to forge the relationships needed to have long lasting bonds to the Marathon County community. As our advocates grow with our organization, they are able to join our advocate leadership board and become a mentor for our younger advocates. This is an amazing opportunity for our older advocates to let their motivation and inspiration shine through their advocate teams. The passion projects and legacy of our advocates live on in the organization and through the younger team members.

To apply, simply fill out the application below. Applicants will be asked to provide basic contact information, two references (we encourage principal/teacher references), and answer in their own words why they’d like to become an advocate and what inspired them to make the world a better place. It’s as easy as that!

Advocate applications open next in April 2022. Check back here for a link during the application window.

Common Questions:

Who can apply?

To apply to become an advocate, you must be finishing 4th grade or older (10 years and older). You also must be excited and willing to participate in volunteer opportunities!

What will be expected of me as an advocate?

Throughout the year we expect each Advocate to volunteer for 2-3 events in the community (we have 1 event a month on average) and lead food drives in their schools with their team.

Do I need a parent to participate in events?

We encourage families to be involved and volunteer at our community events alongside their advocates. However, we understand that your lives are busy and sometimes you must drop off your child. We have parent volunteers who have passed a background check and happily supervise the event.

From an Advocate

Sara was the 2020/2021 Secretary of our Youth Advocate Board and has worked with Peyton’s Promise for over 7 years! Here are some reasons Sara loves the organization so much and what she has learned from growing up with us!

I love Peyton’s Promise because it is such a big part of my life and who I am. Peyton’s Promise has allowed me to learn key life skills, meet so many new people, and be involved in my community. When I first became an advocate I had to speak in front of the Optimist Organization one year. I was so shy. I never looked up from my note cards once. Working with Peyton’s Promise though has allowed me to break out of that shell and now I have no problem speaking in front of people.

Peyton’s Promise is a great way to get involved in the community through different service projects. It also allows one to build a passion for helping those around them. I strongly recommend becoming an advocate! This is something you will not regret. I absolutely love working with Peyton’s Promise and being able to help the community make the world a better place.

Advocate Board Members

Our Advocate Board of Directors are a group of High School leaders who help organize events, create events of their own, mentor our younger advocates and recruit new advocates to the organization. Our board meets weekly via google chat with our Executive Director to brainstorm and prepare for upcoming events.

Peyton Medick — Founder

Peyton Medick, Founder of Peyton's Promise, is a senior at UW LaCrosse. She started the organization when she was eight years old and wanted to make sure children did not go to bed hungry. Peyton started working with the advocate program when her cousin brought forth the idea of having advocates to inspire, lead and educate people about the problem of hunger. Other than working with Peyton's Promise, She enjoys spending time with friends and family, listening to music and adventuring. Peyton is studying Public Administration with a minor in Communications with hopes of a career within the non-profit sector. Peyton looks forward to seeing what amazing things that the advocates, advocate board and this organization can do.

Sara Mayer — Secretary

Sara Mayer became an advocate in 2013 and this is her second year on the advocate board. She is a Junior at the D.C. Everest Senior High School. Sara has a younger brother who has been an advocate since 2016. Her main passion is swimming. Sara is on the local YMCA swim team (wyns), and is also on the Everest swim team for school. She loves to volunteer through school and other organizations like Peyton’s Promise.

Danni Langseth — Vice President

Danni Langseth has been an advocate for 6 years. Peyton’s Promise has been a big part of her life since her and her best friend went around our neighborhood collecting food for the organization. Last year she designed her own event, Eat for the Hungry which involves a day in December where restaurants in the community donate 15% of sales to Peyton’s Promise. Last year Danni joined the Peyton’s Promise Leadership board and this year she is serving as Vice President of the organization!

Grace Albee — Correspondence Director

Grace has been in Peyton’s Promise for four years, and this is her second year on the Advocate Board. She is a sophomore at Wausau West High School. She is also involved in cross country, track, swimming, DECA, and student council. Grace loves to volunteer in her community through Peyton’s Promise to help make the world a better place!

Maddie Martin — President

Maddie Martin has been a Peyton’s Promise advocate for eight years and continues to enjoy the events and message the program spreads throughout the community. She is a junior at the D.C Everest Senior High, keeping herself busy with extracurriculars such as band, SMART Team, and Sciences Olympiad. When not in school Maddie enjoys being at Wisconsin Badger games with her sister, curling, or sipping on some Starbucks!

Max Reinardy — Member

Max has been an advocate for three years, serving on the advocate board for all three. He is currently a junior at Wausau West High School. His biggest passions are music and movies. He is in choir and several other musical events at West as well as playing several instruments outside of school. He also enjoys sports, spending time up north, and, of course, volunteering for groups like Peyton's Promise.

Naomi Nygaard — Member

Naomi is a sophomore and has been an advocate for 3 years. This is her first year on the advocate board, and she is very excited to further her work with her communities’ food pantries. Naomi also enjoys playing tennis, music, working with kids at her church, Rainbow’s End Summer Camp, and Penguin Project.

Annika Nye — Member

Annika Nye is a sophomore at D.C. Everest Senior High School. She has been an advocate for Peyton’s Promise for 5 years. This is her first year on the advocate board. She enjoys skiing and playing tennis. Annika also enjoys spending time with her friends and family.

Abby Sendelbach — Member

Abby Sendelbach has been an advocate for 5 years and continues to enjoy attending events. Her advocate team is Rothschild Elementary. She is currently 16 years old and a sophomore at the D C Everest Senior High School. In her free time she is keeping very busy with all star cheer and other extracurricular activities.

Autumn Quevillon — Member

Autumn Quevillon is a Freshman at DC Everest Junior High. Her hobbies include dancing, playing soccer, volunteering, and being outside. Autumn loves her part of the advocate board because she can give her input on events and help the world be a better place.

Makenna Zoesch — Member

Makenna Zoesch is a sophomore at DC Everest High School. Makenna joined Peyton's Promise in 2016 and this year joined our advocate board. Makenna enjoys swimming and running in her free time.

Caitlin Woller — Member

Caitlin Woller has been an advocate since 5th grade and is now a Freshman at the DC Everest Junior High. This is her first year on the advocate board and she loves her role as a leader. Caitlin has two main passions: Basketball and Dance. She also enjoys volunteering in her community and for Peyton’s Promise, spending time with family and friends, being outdoors, and traveling.

Graham Faulkner — Member

Graham Faulkner is a Freshman at Wausau East School. He is a three sport athlete Cross Country, Track, and Baseball. Graham has been a Peyton’s advocate for 4 years and this his first year a board member. The work Graham does with St. Mark's Lutheran Church is instrumental in keeping the shelves stocked. Graham was inspired by his Grandfather, who was active and passionate helping those in need. Walking and being involved in the Wausau Christmas parade in December and the soup can workouts are the programs he enjoys the most.

Emma Footit — Member

Emma Footit has been an advocate for 7 years. Peyton's Promise has given her so many opportunities and taught her so many things. She is a junior at the DC Everest Senior High. Her passions are music, DECA, and track. Emma loves helping people and volunteers as much as she can.

Lexi Schauls — Member

Lexi Schauls is currently a Sophomore at Wausau West High School. Her favorite thing to do is perform is musicals, both through school and the community. Lexi also enjoys snowboarding, watersports, and spending time with family and friends. She can't wait to continue volunteering with Peyton's Promise!

Anika Eder — Member

Anika Eder is a sophomore at Wausau West and has been an advocate for three years. This is her first year on the advocate board, and she is very excited to continue helping out with the organization. When she’s not volunteering with Peyton’s Promise she enjoys tennis, skiing, singing, participating in other activities like DECA and Rainbows End camp, and spending time with friends and family.

Lilliana Jessen — Member

Lilliana Jessen loves working in Peyton’s Promise. She has been an advocate for four years and this is her first year as a member of the advocate board. Lilliana is an eighth grade student at the DC Everest Junior High. She plays softball in the summer and swims during the school year.